Annunciator



(No Model.)

W. R. MGGANNYU'S. S. CRBIDBR. ANNUNGIATOR.

Pateted Aug. 11, 1891.

Figo

lUNITl-jD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALTER R. MCOANN AND SIMON S. OREIDER, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS.

ANNUNCIATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,454, dated August 11., 1891.

Serial Nol 390,206. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, WALTER R. MCCANN and SIMON S. OREIDER, citizens of the United States, residing at Sterling, in the county of lVhiteside and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Annunciators; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Ourinvention has reference to improvements in annunciators in which the information .furnished is in the alternative, and one alternative is produced solely by mechanical action-that is to say, by pressure upon an exposed button-and the other alternative is eected by the aforesaid mechanical action, supplemented by an electro-magnetic action. In the latter alternative, the electric circuit being closed by the aforesaid mechanical action and an actuating-lever having been by said action brought within the field of a magnet, the attractionof the latter exerted upon said lever complements said mechanical action with suiiicient auxiliary movement toproducethe other alternative.

Our invention by obvious changes is adaptable to various purposes; but one of its chief situations of usefulness will be to indicate at the ground entrance or lower hall of a building the presence or absence of the respective occupants of the several rooms of said building. For this purpose certain hereinafterdescribed mechanism will be located at the aforesaid hall or entrance and provided with a-push-button. The necessary batteries and a magnet are suitably arranged in connection with the aforesaid mechanism and a switchboard connected therewith placed in the room of said occupant. The lower situated mechanism aforesaid will be provided with a visual opening covered with glass, and when the circuit is broken in the occupants room the pressure of the button will elevate a card behind said opening which will bear the word Out, and when the circuit is closed in the occupants room the action of the magnet supplementary to the pressure of the button will display behindsaid opening the word GIn. l

The mechanism involved in the foregoing application of our invention is illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a frontelevation of the exterior of the box located in the hall or on the lower iioor aforesaid and containing the mechanism atkthe lower end of the aforesaid circuit. Fig. 2 isthe same as Fig. l, with the outer cover of said box removed, and includes a miniature illustration of the connecting-wires and upper end of the circuit. Fig. 3 is a de-` tail in vertical cross-section in the line of Fig. l.

A is a box having a metallic back B and a front A', preferably of metal, and which can be ornamented as desired.

C is an ordinary magnet suitably seated within the box A, the end wire l of which is suitably connected to the back B through `the stud 2, rigidly formed on the latter, and the other wire 3 of said magnet is carried to the electric. switch D in the upper room or wherever said switch may be located. The latter isadapted to be oscillated against a stop 4 when the circuit is open and against a switchpoint 5 when it is desired to close the circuit. 'The switch-point 5 is suitablyconnected by the wire 6 to an ordinary battery E, from which a wire F is extended to a spring-plate G, insulated on the back B by means of transverse screws 7 '7, passed through said plate into the rubber insulation H, interposed between said spring-plate and a second springplate J between said insulation and the back B, said plate J being held in contact with the back B by means of a transverse screw countersunk in the insulation I-I and concealed by the plate G. On the inner end of the plate G is formed laterallya hook 8, which is folded over the upper edge of the projected end lof the plate J, either or both of said `plates being bent laterally sufiicient to permit `said connection. Vhen said plates are in a normal position, they are not in contact, the looped end of the plate G passing over and within or beyondt-he plate J without touching the latter. The horizontal push-pin K, adapted `to reciprocate in a suitable sleeve L, seated ICO' transversely in the box A, is provided with an upwardly-projecting pin 9, which is always in contact with the outer surface of the inner endof the plate J. A longitudinal slot in the upper wall of the sleeve L permits the pin 9 to be carried in and out on the pushpin K. When the latter s pressed inward by the operator through the medium of the rubber button M, Fig. 1, seated on the outer end of pin K, the pin 9 crowds the end of plate J inward until the inner surface of said plate J is crowded against and comes in contact with the outer face of the hook 8 of plate G, and the circuit is thereby closed at its lower or box opening.

vAssuming now that the upper end of the circuit is open, no electric action occurs,and the aforesaid pressure of the button M indicates that the occupant ot the upper room is out by the following mechanism: A lever N is pivoted at its outer extremity to the back B, and projecting inwardly under the pin K through a vertical transverse slot 11, formed in the lower portion of the sleeve L,is bent upward and carried thence horizontally over the magnet C and attached to the iron ar# mature 0, which latter forms a prolongation of lever N. A vertical arm P lis pivotally attached at its lower end to the upper surface of the armature O, and at its upper end to the lon gend of the vertical leverR, pivotally seated at 12 on .the back B, and provided in its short end with avertical transverse slot 13. To the short end of the lever R, near its eXtremity,is pivotally attached a secondarylever S, which latter is pivotally seated at its short end on the back B by means of a transverse pivot 14, which projects through the slot 13 of lever R, said slot permitting the vertical oscillation of lever R involved in its lifting and lowering lever S. In the central upper portion of the front A is formed a visual opening T, protected by mica or glass. The free end of the lever S is provided on its outer face with the word Out near its upper surface and the word In below said word Out, said words beingI projected on slightly-divergent lines.

In Figl 3 the pin K is shown at the limit of its instroke, in which position the lever N has been forced downward bythe inthrust of said pin a sufficient distance to elevate through the medium of the armature O, arm P, and lever R the word Out into the plane of and vvisible through the opening T, and that degree of mechanical depression of the outer end of the armature O has brought the latter within the field of the magnet C, and the circuit being closed at its upper portion, as

^ shown in Fig. 2, the attraction of said magnet has farther depressed the lever N by drawing downward the armature O and farther elevated the-free end of lever S to such degree as to raise the word Out above the opening T and bring instead the word In into view through said opening. The depression of the lever N by means of the pin K is effected through a transverse recess 15,

formed ain the lower portion of said pin, having an inner vertical wall and anvoutward oblique wall, the latter of which terminates in ahorizontal portion. When the parts are in their normal position, the pin K is thrown to and held at the limit of its outstroke by the elasticity of the plate J, exercised againstthe inner surface of the vertical pin 9, and when the parts are in said position the lever N, b y the gravity of the free end of the lever S, 1s held up into the deepest portion of the recess 15, in which position the free end of the lever S and its indicating-words drop down automatically 'below the opening T and behind and are concealed by the front plate AI.

W'hen the occupant of the room is out or desires to so announce himself, he simply breaks the circuit by throwing the switch-lever D off the switch-point 5 and against the stop 4. The magnet C would of course then exert. no inliuence in drawing down the armature O beyond the point where the same 1s depressed through the mechanical action of the pin K upon the lever N. This degree of depression is accomplished by the passing of the oblique wall of the recess 15 over thelever N, and is sufficient to depress the lever R only to a degree that will raise the word Out into view through the opening T. When 4pressure is removed from the button M, the force of the plate J, exerted against the pin 9, throws the pin K out, and the free end of the lever S with its designating-'words drops by gravity below the opening T and draws the lever N up into the recess 15.

When it is desired to utilize the apparatus so that the designating devices may be controlled wholly from the occupants room, vthe pin K may be fastened at the limit of its instroke by screwing the button M into the oriiice in which said pin is seated in the plate A or in any other obvious manner, in which situation the lower portion of the circuit may be closed for any desired period, and the upper portion can be optionally opened or closed by manipulating the switch-lever D, when the disclosed information at the opening T will be optionally In or Ouh When the upper and lower ends of the circuit are both open, inward pressure on the button M will mechanically raise Out into view. Vhen only the upper end of the circuit is openOut remains in View, and the closing of said upper end holds In in view. Vhen the said upper end is closed and said lower end open, pressure on the button M will mechanically raise Out to the opening T and coincidently close the circuit, when the magnet will continue the movement and bring In into View.

The indicating-words aforesaid are of coursel illustrative of only the specific use described. In other applications of our invention any words or gures selected to communicate the information intended to be given will be substituted for these.

Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire IOO IOS

IIO

IIS

to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination of an indicating device, a mechanical actuator therefor, a circuitcloser controlled bysuch actuator, and a magnet included in a circuit with said circuitcloser, said magnet also actuating said indicating device to increase its movement, substan- -tially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of an indicating device, a mechanical actuator therefor, a circuitcloser controlled by such actuator, a magnet included in a circuit With said circuit-closer, said magnet also actuating said indicating device to increase its movement, and aswitch D, adapted to optionally open or close said circuit, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of aplate A, provided with a visual opening T, an oscillating lever S, adapted to be suspended in various posi- N and moving said indicating letters or characters a certain degree when said circuit is open and for bringing said armature Within the field of said magnet when said circuit is closed, substantially as shown, and for the purpose specilied.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures 3 5 in presence ot` Vtwo Witnesses.

WALTER R. MCCANN. SIMON S. CREIDER. Vitnesses: v JOHN G. MANAHAN, ADDA E. WARD. 

